Do you think a Bsn will ever be required for staff Rn's in LTC?

[smartnurse1982]

Maybe not now,but say 10 years down the line?

Some areas are having a nursing surplus,which i am effect employer preferences in LTC facilities.

I am starting to see a pattern.

I know many Ltc facilities in my area are only looking for Rn's now...as medication nurses and treatment nurses.

In other words,a regular floor nurse.

10 years ago,that was not the case.

They were looking for Rn's and Lpn's.

[benegesserit]

I'm not going to say never, but I rather doubt that it will happen within the next 10 years.

Around my parts, nursing homes are having a lot of staffing trouble. LPNs have no problem getting a job in nursing homes, let alone ADN RNs.

[CCU BSN RN]

I'd say it depends on your geographic area. In the northeast, in urban and suburban areas, the job market is supersaturated with bachelor's prepared RNs. I would imagine that areas like this will make the change long before rural or underserved areas.

I doubt it will be in the next 10 years though. We still occasionally hire RNs with associates in hospitals in my area (New England) though BSN is 'strongly preferred' and represent probably 90-95% of our new hires. ASNs have been grandfathered in at hospitals I have worked at, and are not being made to further their education at this point.

I would predict that in 10 years you won't see many Associate's prepared nurses working in a hospital setting, and that a BSN will be required as opposed to preferred for acute care settings. With the aging population in this country and the advancements in medical technology that have enabled a longer lifespan, I think we will continue to have huge nursing shortages in LTC and be unable to keep up with the demand.

30 years down the line I'd venture to say that LPN and Associate's programs won't exist, and a BSN will be the entry level nursing degree, but I would be shocked if it happened much sooner than that. Just my $.02 though.